[Prognostic significance of tumor-associated macrophage infiltration in advanced epithelial ovarian carcinoma].

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Tumor-associated macrophage (TAM) infiltration promotes the progression of various malignancies. This study was to investigate the influence of TAM infiltration on the survival and prognosis of patients with ovarian cancer. METHODS: The expression of CD68, a TAM-specific marker, in 67 specimens of ovarian cancer and 22 specimens of benign ovarian lesion was detected by SP immunohistochemistry to investigate the density of TAM. The correlation of TAM density to the prognosis of ovarian cancer was analyzed. Cox multivariate proportional hazard model was used to analyze prognostic factors of ovarian cancer. RESULTS: Observing under x 400 lens, the mean density of TAM was significantly higher in ovarian cancer than in benign ovarian lesions (57.7 vs. 25.3 per vision field, p or=40 than in the counterparts. Multivariate analysis revealed that histological grade and TAM infiltration status are independent predictors for overall survival. CONCLUSION: TAM infiltration is obvious in advanced ovarian cancer, which indicates poor prognosis.